Kitchen cabinet



Oct. 5,1948, GE. WATTS j 2,450,702

KITCHEN CABINET Filed Feb. 3, 1945 v I g'wa 22 INVENTOR- amemw 42mm:

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A Application February 3, 1945, Serial No. 575,966 2 Claims. (01. 4-3187) 1 My invention relates to cabinets, and more particularly to kitchen cabinets of the type including a sink and drainboard. I v

Heretofore in the construction and installation of kitchen cabinets of the type including a sink and drainboard, such construction and installation became an integral part of the home construction. Taking every advantage of existing wall structures, a skeleton cabinet of wood, constructed with a drainboard foundation for the application of tile, is permanently secured to such available wall structures in the room in which it is to be installed, following which, a tile man is called in to apply tile to the drainboard foundation, at which time he also builds up a harmonizing background of tile on the wall of the room bordering the drainboard. When completed, the finished cabinet is an integral part of the building and cannot be removed Without marring the wall and destroying the tile work.

Aside from this, the application of tile directly to the wall, creates a problem of sweating against which special precautions must be taken.

The installation of such a cabinet in the manner discussed involves a matter of time, and inasmuch as such installation necessitates the employment of skilled labor, the total overall cost to the purchaser becomes a very substantial item of expense.

Among the objects of my invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved kitchen cabinet;

(2) To provide a novel and improved kitchen cabinet capable of installation and removal as a unit, and without damage to either the wall or the panel tiling;

(3) To provide a. novel and improved preformed kitchen cabinet capable of construction as a complete unit prior to installation;

(4) To provide a novel and improved kitchen cabinet lending itself to quantity production in complete units;

(5) To provide a novel and improved kitchen cabinet capable of being finished off at the factory in any of a wide variety of color and tile designs to harmonize with the surroundings in which the cabinet is to be installed.

For a complete description of my invention in one of its preferred forms, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a cabinet of my improved construction;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same cabinet;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same cabinet;

2 Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in section, of a portion of the cabinet in which the improved construction is embodied.

Referring to the drawings for details, I provide a cabinet I preferably of wood, embodying drawers 3 and compartments 5, and having a drainboard or drainboards 1 leading to an opening for the reception of a sink 9. The number and location of drawers and compartments is a matter of taste and may follow conventional designs.

The cabinet is provided with a back I I having a portion thereof extending up above the drainboard to constitute a foundation I3 for a drainboard panel l5, along the upper edge of which a narrow top piece or covering I1 is placed. Each side wall [9 of the cabinet is preferably designed to provide a narrow upward extension 2| adjacent the drainboard panel foundation I3, and serves to give support to the narrow top piece. In cooperation with the panel foundation and the top piece, the upward extensions 2| create a bordered recess for a layer 22 of tile to finish off the drainboard panel. The tile may be applied before or after the application of the top piece [1.

In the process of installing such tile, a layer of paper -23, preferably building paper, is first applied to the panel foundation l3 as a. precaution against sweating. The application of the layer of paper is followed by the laying of a screen or Wire mesh 25 over the area to. provide an anchorage for the cement which is to hold the tile in place. The cement 26 is uniformly spread over the screen or wire mesh, following which, tiles are pressed into position and the cement permitted to dry and harden. The drainboard is finished off in a similar manner at the time the drainboard panel is tiled.

The preformed cabinet may be left unpainted until after installation, or painted in advance of installation at the place of manufacture. In any event, the important thing to note is the fact that, structurally, the cabinet is completed in every detail at the factory and, accordingly, prior to installation. Inasmuch as the cabinet may be' so prefabricated, it lends itself to quantity production methods, resulting in an improved cabinet at lower cost to the purchaser. Aside from this, the cabinet, being a complete unit in itself, it may readily be installed and removed as such without damage either to the cabinet or to the surroundings.

While my invention has been described in conjunction with a cabinet having a tile finish, the fundamental features of the invention can be parting from, the, underlying principles thereofl,

and I accordingly do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific details disclosed and described, except as may be necessitated by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a unitary preformed kitchen cabinet or the like including a pair of side walls, a back wall, a drainboard, a sink supported at the edge of said drainboard, said drainboard being positioned above said side walls, a, drainboard. panel, foundation; extending upwardly from the rear edge of: thedrainboard and the sink, a layer of tilecovering said; drainboard; a vertical layer" of; tile covering'the drainboard foundation, and a. top' covering: extending over the upper. edges of the drainboard panel foundation and the vertical layer of tile to impart stability thereto, the parts being'constructed and arranged so that the tiled cabinet is formed as a complete unit prior to. being installed.

2. As an article ofmanufacture, al -unitary preformed kitchen cabinet or the like including a pair of side walls, a back wall, a drainboard positioned above the side walls, a sink supported at the edge of said drainboard, said back wall extending above said drainboard and sink to provide a drainboard panel foundation, each of said side walls having a narrow upward extension adjacent the ends of said drainboard panel foundation, a layer of tile covering said drainboard, a vertical layer of tile covering the drainboard foundation, andatop covering extending over the upper edges ofthe drainboard panel foundation and the vertical layer of tile and co-acting with the side wall extensions to impart stability to the tile, theparts being constructed and arranged so that the tiled cabinet may be installed or removed; as: a complete unit.

GARLAND E. WATTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED. S'ZII'AYI'ES,v PATENTS.

Number Name Date 431,808 Hammann, et al. Julyfi, 1890 983,644 Pohl Feb. '7, 1911 1,453,945 Peterson May 1, 1923 1,569,978 Howard Jan. 19, 1926' 2,080,573 Madsen May 18 1937 2,114,474 Labra Apr. 19', 1938 2,293,184- Weissert Aug. 18, 1942 

